Using the priciple of Operation Management to reactivate a firm: A Case study of WHSmith

A Guide to Assignment Course work in Unit 34 Operational Management in Business:

(Prepared by Solomon.H Ebenuwa (Mr), Shabir Bangash (Mr) and Samar Hassoni(Ms))

This is a guide to enable you write your course work (Operational Management), As you use it, an in-depth research, creativity and originality of work is greatly encouraged

Every task written must be related to the Case Study and Scenario (Example, you must write about how each task relates to WH Smith.)

Format and General Structure of Documents and Work (3000±10%)

A Format/model structure might look like:

a. Bite cover and Turnit-in Page

b. Identification and Ownership Page.

c. Contents Page

d. Introduction (150-200Words)

I. Your choice of company, brief history, the business for this company

II. Your interpretation of the issue with the company it relate to Using Operational Management

III. Any other information to show in-depth reading and research.

e. Task 1 (about 1000 words)

Based on the Scenario, produce a document explaining the nature and importance of Operation Management and its key elements.

Your document for this Task must include the following elements (among others as you wish):

I. A definition of OM and an explanation of its importance

(Define OM and Explain its importance to companies and particularly WH Smith)

II. The key elements of OM;

(Give example of the Element of OM in context of WH Smith.)

III. The need to produce goods or services on time and to cost, with the right quality and within the law;

(Why and how did WH Smith deliver their services to the customers on time and to cost, with the right quality and within the law)

IV. The role of OM in achieving strategic objectives; and

(What are the strategic objective of WH Smith, what role did OM play in achieving this)

V . Produce systems and sub-systems diagrams for any WH Smith operations processes, including a brief explanation of your diagrams.

(Explain the meaning of System and sub-System; draw a diagram of WH Smith operation indicating how systems and sub-systems diagrams fit into their operations)

f. Task 2 (about 1000 words)

Based on the Scenario, produce a document explaining the relationship between OM and strategic planning.

Your document for this Task must include the following elements (among others as you wish):

I. Explain the implementation of the “3Es” in WH Smith;

(Explain how WH Smith implemented the Efficiency , Effectiveness and Economy into its operations to cut down cost and increase profit).

II. Critically review the tension between cost minimisation and quality maximisation in the context of WH Smith.

(How did WH Smith always find a balance with giving a quality service to its customer at a lower cost).

III. Assess the importance of the five performance objectives that underpin operations management.

(The five performance objective was implemented in WH Smith, what are there and give a brief explanations how it was done )

Task 3 (this meets LOs 3 and 4 in full)

Base on the Scenario, produce a document explaining how to organise and apply relevant techniques in a typical production process.

Your document for this Task must include the following elements (among others as you wish):

I. Comment briefly on the importance of operational planning and control.

(Briefly explain, operational planning and control how and why it was implemented in WH Smith).

II. Explain what linear programming is, and give an example in relation to any part of the operations of WH Smith;

(Explain any Operation of WH Smith, like the shop having to decide which book or any other items to sale in a limited space that would give more profit ).

III. Produce a network plan and indicate the resultant critical path for any operation in WH Smith.

(for this task, you should include a set of operational outcomes, which are clearly defined).

(Assume that WHSmith is going to renovate their shop, and you are the project manager , produce the sequence of task, use it to make a network diagram and find the critical path)

IV. Explain how quality can be defined and maintained.

(Define and Explain quality in specific reference to OM of WH Smith).

(Prepared by Solomon.H Ebenuwa (Mr), Shabir Bangash (Mr) and Samar Hassoni(Ms))

References

This section should contain all the Harvard references you have used in developing your answer to the assignment.

Beware of plagiarism and the temptation to cut and paste information from the web or from online references. ANY assignments found to have plagiarised content will be given a zero mark and as such you will fail the assignment outright.